Football: Extra CIF playoff game shot down (for now)
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The Southern Section council today unanimously instructed its representatives to the state federated council to vote against a proposal that would add a regional playoff round in each division prior to the CIF state championship bowl games.
The proposal would move up the start of the season by one week and require all sections to end their respective playoffs by the first weekend in December. It would take effect during the 2010 season.
Even though the Southern Section voted against it, the proposal could be approved if enough other section representatives vote to approve it at the May 8 state federated council meeting. The Los Angeles City Section has voted to support the measure.
Tesoro Principal Dan Burch, whose Titans fell one game short of a possible bowl berth last season after losing to Long Beach Poly in the Pac-5 Division championship, said he didn’t like the idea of playing games before the start of school. He also didn’t like forcing multi-sport athletes to choose between sports.
‘Our league has never been in favor of those post-[section] championship games,’ Burch said. ‘Our Southern Section is so big, that championship means something to our kids. The other stuff is another opportunity to go out and lose games.’
--Ben Bolch